The Deer and the Butterfly
by squeeshmee3
Summary: As a rule, the InoShikaCho team didn't keep secretsthey had no need. But Shikamaru and Chouji had one thing that they would keep from Ino. It was something that didn't need to be saidit was mutually acknowledged. [Fluff, ShikaCho]


Warning, this story contains **slash**, of the ShikaCho variety. If this bothers you, please do not continue reading. That said, this is one of my top favorite Naruto pairings 3

* * *

Chouji sat down on the bench where he and his teammates always met, and waited. He was always the first one there, and he didn't mind. The only people he liked hanging out with, really, were Shikamaru, Ino and Asuma, and when they weren't around, he preferred solitude to any other's company.

Wind gently feathered out his honey-colored hair, held in place by his hitai-ate. It felt good, and Chouji smiled involuntarily. He looked at the bag of potato chips resting on his lap, still unopened. He liked sharing the first 3 chips with the rest of his team.

"Chouji!" He looked over down the road, and saw Ino running to meet him. Her hair was down today; an unusual hairstyle choice for Ino. Chouji waved.

"Why do you always arrive so early?" She laughed, grabbing the bag of chips and opening it for him.

Chouji grinned, and shrugged. "I have nothing else to do."

Ino handed back his chips, after grabbing one for herself.

"Neither does Shikamaru, and he's always the _last _one here." Ino sat down, and popped the chip in her mouth.

"That's true."

Mornings usually tended to go like this before Asuma and Shikamaru arrived; friendly, yet somewhat awkward. Chouji and Ino were close, but had trouble interacting when they were alone.

Chouji had a much better time interacting with his best friend, Shikamaru. They were incredibly close, and most of the time they didn't even have to talk—they understood each other best in silence.

Chouji smiled again, thinking of Shikamaru, thinking of the one thing that neither of them would share with Ino. Their only secret.

As a general rule, the Ino-Shika-Cho team kept nothing from each other—they didn't need to. But the day that Shikamaru had gently kissed Chouji on the mouth as they sat and looked at clouds was the exception. Neither of them had even needed to say so. They both mentally acknowledged it.

* * *

Shikamaru lay next to Chouji on the hill that they spent many hours nearly everyday idly watching clouds, neither of them talking, yet both of them sharing more than most people could by talking.

Chouji had just opened a bag of potato chips, and set them in the space of grass between the two boys; his way of offering Shikamaru to share.

Shikamaru didn't move, just kept looking upwards, forming cloud shapes in his mind.

As they sat quietly, both of them heard a rustling noise, and both of them shifted their eyes toward the potato chips.

A deer had crept out of the forest that lay at the top of the hill, and was gingerly nosing its mouth inside the bag, its tongue seeking out the salty flavor. Shikamaru and Chouji looked at each other with slight surprise, and then laughed into their hands. It really was funny, but they knew that telling someone who hadn't been there to witness it wouldn't be the same. The humor came from seeing it.

From the crinkling bag flew a butterfly that had apparently chosen the bag or something nearby as a resting place. It dipped and fluttered around, bewilderedly, and this caused Chouji and Shikamaru to laugh harder. The deer's head shot up, startled, and it ran back off into the forest.

After the commotion, Chouji checked the bag, and was sad to find it empty except for a couple soggy crumbs. He sighed.

"It took the last chip." He complained, dejectedly.

That was when he had suddenly see Shikamaru lean over, and felt his soft lips against his own. Chouji was too surprised to react. Shikamaru ended it quickly, grinned sheepishly, and lay back down.

They continued watching the clouds until evening.

* * *

Shikamaru ambled up, looking bored and annoyed as usual. Ino jumped off the bench and ran over to meet him.

"Finally! We've been waiting for like, half an hour, you know." She complained at him, whacking him in the back of the head.

Asuma, who had arrived a few minutes earlier, laughed and told Ino to calm down.

"You're part of the problem, you know! You were late too. I don't like having to wake up earlier than I have to." Ino grumbled. Asuma shrugged helplessly.

Shikamaru caught Chouji's eyes, and both of them grinned at each other. As soon as they were dismissed, they would be back on their cloud hill.

And they might return to the bench the next day with another secret.


End file.
